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Information and communication technologies
Information and communication technologies (ICT) – a cross-cutting topic in German development cooperation
ICT are gaining increasing importance in development cooperation. They are not only indispensable project planning and coordination tools, they also have a key role to play when it comes to achieving specific development goals.
Since representatives from 189 countries adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the 2000 World Summit in New York, ICT have been recognised as an important resource in international cooperation. MDG 8 makes direct reference to these technologies:
"In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications."
(MDG 8.F)
In a speech he made on 20 November 2001 on the occasion of the launching of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (UN ICT Task Force), Kofi Annan, the then UN Secretary-General, addressed the wider potentials of ICT:
"The new technologies that are changing our world are not a panacea or a magic bullet. But they are, without doubt, enormously powerful tools for development. They create jobs. They are transforming education, health care, commerce, politics and more. They can help in the delivery of humanitarian assistance and even contribute to peace and security."
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) shares that opinion: ICT are tools or resources that can be used to increase the effectiveness of German development cooperation. That is why they are not treated as a separate issue in German development cooperation, but are an integral part of various priority areas. As a cross-cutting topic in German development cooperation they are a key element of many projects.
Generating private-sector commitment through public funding
Social and economic interests ideally complement each other in the field of ICT. That is an interesting aspect for the private sector, because public funding can generate private-sector commitment. Germany believes that one of its tasks is to work together with partners in developing countries to create leverage – by providing policy advice, implementing strategic projects and suggesting new partnerships. The goal is to reduce the international and regional differences when it comes to access to ICT: More people in developing countries are to be given the opportunity to use ICT applications. They are to play an active part in the global information society.
Utilising information and communication technologies
ICT can be utilised in many different ways – among other things they help
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to facilitate communication in everyday life and save time and money,
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to open up new ways of sharing information, for example with decision-makers in the social and political realm, and to open up new markets and sources of information,
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to archive, manage and prepare data more efficiently – for example in the education system, in the health system and in public administration.
The BMZ brings ICT to bear in various areas of German development cooperation and uses them as a tool to achieve development goals.
In order for projects to have an optimum and sustainable impact, the BMZ places especial emphasis on capacity building, educational measures in the national language and empowering local partners.
It is also important to create an enabling policy environment for ICT use. That means
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opening up markets, which are often still monopolistic,
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creating access opportunities, and
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promoting relevant information content, freedom of opinion and the untapped potential for innovation in society.
When providing policy advice and developing strategies Germany is increasingly ensuring that ICT are incorporated in national poverty reduction strategies in partner countries.
Germany also supports the Development Gateway Foundation (DGF), which was founded in 2001 by the then President of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn. Its objective is to narrow the digital divide between developing countries and industrialised nations through ICT. The Foundation was recognised as an independent and charitable organisation in 2004. The BMZ has made available some five million euros in funding since the DGF was founded and has pledged a further five million euros for the period 2006 to 2008.
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